


A Pinkie and an Arm

by beastlyrose



Series: Anger and Pride [3]
Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale
Genre: Brotherly Bonding, Gen, Loss of Limbs, M/M, Self-Harm but not because of mental illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:00:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24476152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/beastlyrose/pseuds/beastlyrose
Summary: Inuyasha plots to return something he took from his brother while they were still at odds.
Relationships: InuYasha & Sesshoumaru (InuYasha), InuYasha/Sesshoumaru (InuYasha)
Series: Anger and Pride [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1742074
Comments: 11
Kudos: 175





	A Pinkie and an Arm

“Oi Sango.” The demon slayer looked up at her inu youkai friend. “Midoriko was the strongest miko to have ever existed right? Was she able to use her reiki to heal wounds?”

Sango considered her friends words, recalling what she learned in the past. “From what I recall of my family’s teachings, Midoriko-sama was really well known for her ability to purify multiple demons with a single blast of her power and the strength of her barriers, but I believe she was also able to heal wounds. Why the interest?” Inuyasha had only ever been interested in a miko's ability to purify demons in the past so this interest in healing was new.

“It’s just something I’m thinking about” Inuyasha had been playing with a certain idea for a while now, but he preferred to keep it to himself, at least for the time being.

Sango looked at her demon friend with a discerning look but when it was clear that he wouldn’t be saying anymore, she nodded her head. “Feel free to ask me any more questions if they come up.”

“Thanks, I will,” Inuyasha replied, though he knew that his next questions could only be answered by someone with spiritual powers. He never knew that he could be so anxious and excited for the next time they had to go back to Kaede’s village.

* * *

“Baba,” Inuyasha said in greeting as he entered the elder miko’s hut

“Hello Inuyasha, what brings you into my home?” Inuyasha had always to stay outside the village, in the forest, whenever he and his group came to the area, so this visit was definitely a surprise.

“I have some questions about your healing powers.”

“What do you mean? Do you need some healing?” As far as Kaede knew, the group came in a bit tired and beat up, but there were no wounds that could not be healed with enough time and rest.

“I mean healing with your miko powers. Not for me, or the others. Just wondering how powerful it is, like…could it regrow a limb?”

Kaede was taken aback. There was only one reason that could explain why Inuyasha was asking about that particular topic. She had heard that the two of them had begun to make amends, but she did not realized that it had reached a point where Inuyasha was actually seeking to help his brother gain more power.

“I personally do not have this ability. Kikyo was able to heal cuts and abrasions but we never encountered anyone who survived the ordeal of having one of their limbs cut off so she never had any requests to regrow a limb.” Kaede saw the disappointment in the half demon’s posture.

“I guess…it is theoretically possible,” Kaede mused, instantly pepping the half demon back up. “It would take a lot of energy, but judging by Kagome’s strength, she might have the ability to do it.”

Inuyasha looked extremely happy and was about to dart out of the hut to hunt down said miko when Kaede spoke once more. “I have to warn you. A miko’s powers instinctively want to purify a demon so if you are going to ask Kagome to help your brother—I assume that’s why you’re asking about regrowing limbs—she will have to train her powers so she does not purify youki while she heals.”

Inuyasha considered the information and he quickly formed some ideas on how to achieve his end goal. “Thanks baba, you’ve been a great help,” he said before dashing off to find his next target.

Kaede shook her head with a small grin. Despite his brash attitude, Inuyasha wore his heart out on his sleeve and she wished him the best on his endeavour. If he and Kagome achieved his goal, it would definitely be the first case of a miko healing a demon.

* * *

“You want me to... what?” Kagome stared at Inuyasha open-mouthed. 

“You don’t have to make that stupid expression, I know you heard me the first time!” Inuyasha retorted.

Kagome glared at Inuyasha but decided it wasn’t worth it to gripe back and forth since his initial request really took precedence. She bit her lip, unsure how to even express her worries. “I’m really not comfortable with you cutting yourself so I can practice my healing on you. I don’t know the first thing about healing!”

“Which is why you need practice!” Inuyasha barked back. “And we’ll start off small. Any cut I make would eventually heal by itself anyway so you don’t need to be so worried.”

Kagome was worried… She thought about all of the demons that she'd instantly vapourized with her miko powers. What if an accident happened and she killed Inuyasha! No, she couldn’t do this.

“Hey, stop overthinking things,” Inuyasha said after seeing the turmoil and dread on Kagome’s face. “I ain’t no weak ass demon. Your miko powers don’t even sting me,” he continued as reassurance.

“You’d do the same thing for Souta,” Inuyasha said when he saw that Kagome was about to refuse again.

The miko choked on the words she was about to say. She looked up at Inuyasha and saw his determination. He was right, she would be just as stubborn and headstrong about it if it was Souta’s arm on the line.

With a gulp, she nodded her head in agreement. “Fine, you win. So, when do you want to start?”

“No time like the present, so let’s start now.” Inuyasha proceeded to make a cut on his left arm with his claws. Small but deep enough that it wouldn’t heal too quickly by itself.

Kagome stared at the bloody cut with trepidation. She mentally prepared herself and then began to focus her spiritual power. ‘Heal, don’t purify. Heal, don’t purify,” became the mantra in her head as her hands glowed pink. 

Inuyasha felt the reiki build. It started off as a warm sensation but it kept building until it began to burn him.

“Stop,” Inuyasha hissed, hiding the pain that Kagome’s powers had caused. Kagome immediately stopped and then looked down at her friend’s arm. There was no more cut but it definitely wasn’t healed. In its place was a huge blister that Kagome recognized as a 2nd degree burn.

“You did better than I expected for your first time,” Inuyasha said nonchalantly, hiding all evidence of the pain he felt. “Again,” he ordered, already making another cut in a different place on his arm.

Kagome wanted to protest but Inuyasha’s steely gaze told her that it would be useless so she tried again. It ended with the same result. Inuyasha made her try another two times before the smell of charred flesh became too much and Kagome had to beg off to avoid getting sick.

After the first time, a training routine was started. Every morning and evening, Inuyasha and Kagome trained the miko’s healing powers. Kagome tried to push for training only once a day but Inuyasha wanted her to get as much training in as possible and no amount of arguing could deter the half demon.

* * *

Sesshomaru discreetly scented the air; there was something amiss. He smelled his brother’s blood but the half demon didn’t look injured and his companions also didn’t have the haggard appearance that they usually carried after a recent battle.

“Otouto, are you injured?”

It was quick but Sesshomaru noticed his younger brother move his left arm behind him as if to hide it. It had the opposite effect as he had unknowingly drawn the daiyoukai’s attention to it.

“No one’s been able to land a single hit on me recently, what’s it to you?” Inuyasha answered. Sesshomaru noticed that it wasn’t a direct no.

“Your arm, why do you hide it?” The daiyoukai reached out and grasped his younger brother’s arm without any warning and held it up, causing Inuyasha’s sleeve to fall. Inuyasha could not control the yelp that left his mouth. His arm was exposed letting Sesshomaru see the spattering burns that covered it, all at different stages of healing.

“Who did this to you?” Sesshomaru’s question came out as a growl, his eyes tinted red.

“Keh, it’s just a byproduct of some training I’ve been doing.” Inuyasha tugged at his arm but Sesshomaru would not let it go. The daiyoukai leaned down and diligently licked each burn. His inner demon whined that it could not go and crush an enemy that dared lay a hand on his packmate—it would have to settle for helping Inuyasha along with the healing process.

“If there is a strong enemy, you need only ask for assistance and this Sesshomaru will provide.” The older demon said once he had finished treating Inuyasha’s burns.

“As if I need your help,” the blush on Inuyasha’s cheeks betrayed the flattery that he felt.

“Indeed, you do not need this Sesshomaru’s help, but the offer still exists if you want it.” Inuyasha’s face further reddened and he shoved his brother away, unable to cope with the happiness he felt at his brother’s words.

“Keh. Thanks.” Inuyasha mumbled. If Sesshomaru was a human, he would not have heard his younger brother’s words with how quiet they were. “For the offer and the… you know,” he ended awkwardly, holding up his arm.

“It is of no consequence.” Sesshomaru said, pleased with the exchange. He paused, realizing that there was still one thing that was unresolved. “You will tell this Sesshomaru what kind of training has resulted in your injuries.”

“No way!” Inuyasha shrieked out, unexpectedly. “Er, I mean. I’ll show you once it’s perfected.”

Sesshomaru raised a brow. What could his little brother be working on? Did Inuyasha want to keep it a secret so as to surprise him with a new move in an attempt to impress. Sesshomaru debated forcing the information out of his younger brother but Inuyasha had not lied about there being no strong enemy in his immediate future. He would let the matter go...for now.

* * *

“I did it!” Kagome exclaimed in awe as she withdrew her reiki and revealed an unblemished arm. “Oh my god! Inuyasha, I did it!!!” She jumped up and down in excitement and hugged the half demon with tears in her eyes. Guilt had built up each time she had unintentionally burned her friend; the knowledge that she would never burn her friend again overwhelmed her and the tears started to fall.

“You did it!” Inuyasha hugged her back. “Now, it’s time for the second stage.”

Kagome froze. She stepped away from the half demon and looked at him in confusion through glassy eyes. “What are you talking about?”

“Well, you can heal what’s been sliced up, but can you heal something that’s no longer there.”

Kagome paled and bile rose up in her throat as she realized exactly what her friend implied. “Inuyasha, no! You can’t mean what you’re saying! This is too much!”

“Relax, I ain’t going to chop off my arm. Just my little finger.” Before Kagome could react, Inuyasha drew his sword and held his arm in front of him, his hand in a fist except for the littlest finger which stuck out. With a precise swing, Inuyasha went from 5 fingers on his left hand, to 4. Time seemed to slow as Kagome watched the detached piece of flesh fall to the ground. It spattered out some blood as it hit the grass, barely making a sound.

The whole thing was just too much for Kagome and she promptly passed out. Inuyasha quickly sheathed his sword and dashed to catch the miko before she hit the ground.

“Keh, it’s just a damn finger, and the most useless one at that,” the half demon muttered to himself. He slung the miko over his shoulder and headed back to where their companions were at. What a waste of a training session.

* * *

“Inuyasha-san! You lost a finger!” Rin was the first of Sesshomaru’s group to notice the missing pinkie.

“Yeah brat, a damn shame. I have one less finger I can use to tickle you!” Inuyasha leapt at the girl who squealed and ran away from the half demon to avoid getting tickled. Rin was easily distracted away from the injury but Sesshomaru was a different story.

The daiyoukai stared intently at his younger brother during his entire visit, but Inuyasha refused to yield and explain what had happened. During this time, Sesshomaru had gleaned that his younger brother no longer carried any burns on his arm. He didn’t know what was better, a bunch of burns or a missing finger. Sesshomaru refused to think about the possibility that it would escalate to a missing arm the next time he visited his brother’s group.

“What are you not telling this Sesshomaru?” He confronted his brother once the others had fallen asleep.

“It’s nothing really. Can we just drop it? It’s just a damn finger. I promise it ain’t going to be anymore than that.” Inuyasha looked to the side, unable to look his brother in the eye, afraid that he might convey his intentions before he was prepared to share them. He didn’t want to get his brother’s hopes up.

Sesshomaru didn’t understand why his brother was being so evasive. Why did Inuyasha refuse to tell him about his injuries? He hated the way his brother could make him feel so helpless; he was a daiyoukai goddammit, he was not helpless. Out of irritation, Sesshomaru directed his mokomoko to grab his younger brother around the waist and plop him in his lap. The hanyou had been sitting too far and his inner demon needed reassurance that its packmate was safe.

‘Why won’t you let this Sesshomaru protect you?’ the older demon thought as he nuzzled into his younger brother’s neck. The words would not come out despite how loud they were in his head.

Inuyasha relaxed into Sesshomaru and moved his neck to expose as a show of further submission while in his brother’s embrace. “I promise, I’ll tell you everything when I’m ready.”

Sesshomaru’s inner demon whined pitifully. It wasn’t enough. Still, Sesshomaru would not give into the desire to force his brother to share more than what he was willing. After all, he was daiyoukai and he was too dignified to give into base instincts.

* * *

It was after an impromptu study session that Kagome finally had a breakthrough. After this, Inuyasha could never complain that her studies were useless, for in her biology textbook was the knowledge she needed to finally grow back that damn pinkie.

Kagome slammed her textbook shut, gaining the attention of everyone at their camp. “Inuyasha! Come here!”

The half demon complied with the miko’s demands even though he was annoyed at having been ordered around. When Kagome offered up her palm, Inuyasha went from annoyed to eager and he quickly placed his left hand in the offered palm.

Kagome covered it with her other hand and closed her eyes to focus. ‘Grow,’ she urged the directive into her reiki. Previously she had been thinking about healing but you can’t heal what isn’t there anymore. Like her biology textbook had said, she would have to urge new cells to grow and direct them into a form that was encoded in their DNA.

Bit by bit, her reiki urged Inuyasha’s body to recreate what was lost. The process was a lot more draining than when she was healing Inuyasha’s cuts but there was no way she was going to stop now.

After what felt like an age, she felt that the job was complete and when she opened her eyes, she looked down and there it was! A brand new pinkie where there used to be a stub.

Before she even knew what was happening, she found herself in the air. “Kagome, you did it!!!” She was caught and then swung around in Inuyasha’s arms and she laughed, unable to stop herself from sharing in his excitement.

“Sesshomaru is going to be so shocked when we see him next!” Kagome looked up at her demon friend and saw the biggest grin adorning his face. This was the happiest Inuyasha had ever been; all the awful sessions she had to endure had been worth it to see him like this. She hoped she’d get to see the daiyoukai experience something similar when she finally got to healing his arm.

* * *

Sesshomaru noticed immediately that Inuyasha’s hand had been fully restored. The hanyou was no longer hiding it and the full demon had been actively looking for any new injuries on his brother. He chose not to bring up his observation as Inuyasha had promised to share when he was ready.

It seemed like that time was now as Inuyasha had led him and the miko away from the group.

“So, I’ve been helping Kagome with something so that we could do something nice for you,” Inuyasha started awkwardly. Kagome rolled her eyes at her friend’s non-explanation.

“Stop, you’re just going to confuse Sesshomaru like that.” Inuyasha let out a huff but didn’t say anything in response. He gestured for Kagome to continue with the explanation.

With a sigh and a shake of her head, Kagome continued to speak. “Inuyasha was looking into a way to heal your arm.” Sesshomaru looked at his brother, eyes wide—that was certainly not what he had expected to leave the miko’s mouth. Inuyasha blushed brightly and looked away.

“He found out that some mikos have the power to heal wounds and then he approached me with the intention of training,” Kagome said. She hesitated to say more. How does one tell a daiyoukai that their brother received burns due to failed attempts at healing…

Sesshomaru had heard enough to realize that this was the training that Inuyasha had mentioned weeks ago. Something stirred inside the daiyoukai. He felt the urge to yell at Inuyasha for exposing himself to an untrained miko’s powers and at the same time he wanted to bring Inuyasha into a hug for enduring so many burns so the miko could learn how to heal his arm. He also felt something else that he had never experienced before...It was not Inuyasha’s fault that the full demon lost his arm. Sesshomaru had lost himself in his anger at being rejected by both his father and younger brother and had, in that moment, truly wanted to kill Inuyasha—something that he was so happy he had failed to achieve. He felt…unworthy.

“Would you knock it off already?” Inuyasha shoved his brother in the shoulder, knocking Sesshomaru out of his internal strife. The daiyoukai was confused for a moment before he felt how much youki he had unintentionally let out. He quickly wrestled his instincts into submission and recalled his youki.

“This Sesshomaru apologizes. That you suffered for an arm that was rightfully lost because this one lost control; you are more noble that this Sesshomaru deserves.”

“Keh, what the hell are you talking about? I took your arm so now that we’re actually brothers again, of course I’d try to find a way to give it back. Besides, it was just a few burns and a useless pinkie.” Inuyasha rubbed his nose awkwardly. “Now enough talk! Let’s get to actually healing the damn thing.”

He looked at Kagome who approached Sesshomaru and when she was about a foot away, she looked up at the daiyoukai questioningly, silently asking for permission.

With a stiff nod, Sesshomaru moved his sleeve up to expose what was left of his left arm. Kagome brought her hands close to the stump and began to concentrate. It was a lot more difficult than healing Inuyasha’s pinkie as an arm was a lot bigger than a single finger but slowly, flesh and bone began to regrow.

Sesshomaru looked down at his arm when he felt the miko’s power recede. He flexed his fingers in assessment and was in awe at how indistinguishable this regrown arm felt in comparison to his old one. He gave the miko a small nod in gratitude and then directed his focus to his younger brother.

Looking between Sesshomaru and Inuyasha, Kagome quickly realized that she was about to witness something extremely private. The two demons didn’t even seem to be aware that she was still there, their focus solely on each other. As quietly as she could, she left the two demons so they could be alone.

Vaguely feeling the miko leave, the daiyoukai let himself walk over to his younger brother who stared up at him with wide eyes. For the very first time, Sesshomaru brought the younger demon into a hug with the use of two arms. 

Once Sesshomaru’s arms were wrapped around Inuyasha, the half demon was immediately transported back to a time when he was much younger and was small enough to fit perfectly in his mother’s arms. Though the proportions weren’t the same, his older brother was a fair bit larger than him and the full demon’s presence was so much more palpable that it gave the same effect of surrounding Inuyasha in a bubble of warmth and protection.

“Nii-sama” Those words were the only two that Inuyasha could express to convey all the hope, happiness and love that he was feeling. He brought up his arms and melted into the older demon as he returned the hug. Inuyasha felt light and relaxed, falling into a natural high as he let himself be encompassed by his older brother.

“Otouto, thank-you,” Sesshomaru whispered softly into one of the hanyou’s ears, nuzzling his brother’s hair. The two dog demons were finally whole.

**Author's Note:**

> That's all for the major events I wanted to write for this universe! This last one has been sitting in-progress for 2 weeks because I didn't know how to end it...
> 
> Any other plot bunnies that might come up in the future will end up as an Omake
> 
> I hope you enjoyed all the fluff! Inuyasha and Sesshomaru deserve all the warm cuddles


End file.
